Elon Musk Envisions Hyperloop, A Solar Powered Transportation System

A concept design for Aeromovel, a transportation system similar to Hyperloop.Credit: DVICE

Elon Musk, the creator of Paypal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX, does not only concern himself with space travel. He recently talks about a futuristic system of transportation he calls the ‘Hyperloop’. It is a system that never crashes, operates independent of weather conditions, and travels twice as fast as planes.

Musk calls the Hyperloop the fifth step in transportation evolution following planes, trains, automobiles and boats. It can take a commuter from downtown Los Angeles to downtown San Francisco in under 30 minutes.

An amazing feat since the trip would take six hours by car, twice that by train since there is no direct connection, and over an hour by plane.

In his interview by Sarah Lacy of PandoDaily, Musk asserts that the concept of the Hyperloop is absolutely possible. He adds that it would cost less than air travel since it can be self-powering by installing solar panels.

The power generated by the solar panels will be greater than what the system requires. The excess power can be stored to make the system operate 24/7 without resorting to batteries.

Currently, the Hyperloop is still in the theoretical stage. There is no diagram or picture of it. Although Musk mentions Aeromovel as a similar transportation network, it uses a pneumatic transportation guideway.

Musk says he is willing to discuss the details of his idea to those who can make a credible case that they can develop and conceptualize it.

For now, conjectures abound that it is a tube transportation network similar to the ones seen in futuristic animations like The Jetsons and Futurama.

Many have said that Elon is the closest resemblance of the Iron Man, or that he is simply the next Steve Jobs. Well, if he succeeds building the Hyperloop, they may be right.